Wild ARMs: Group 1, Chapter 1, Good Samaritans or Mercenaries...

[Krylo]

The small dusty town of Destin had been plagued by demi-human attacks recently. Their citizens were no match for these creatures, and so the call went out for good drifters. The pay wasn't very good for the danger, though, a mere one thousand gella for rescuing the town from a band of hob bandits.

However, there were some drifters who were either so down on their luck or good hearted enough to take the job, anyway. And, of course, there was always the potential of one merely being in the right place at the wrong time.

Destin was a small town, and nothing but dust and tumbleweeds ran through the streets these days. The well was mostly dry and its water muddy, as the bandits had destroyed it, and the people of the city felt no need to keep it up after so many attacks. Their women had been hauled off with their food, and what was left were the gaunt and disparate skeletons of what had once been a peaceful and loving town.

They were offering what they could, but few still held out hope for their rescue.

(OOC: Enter the town however you like. The mayor will, of course, see you. I plan on you meeting up as you take the job and going from there, however I don't really mind if any of you are already associated. Either way, you will be after this)

[Truce]

There was nothing special about the little hole called Destin that had drawn this particular man here; in fact, a day before he had not even known it existed. It was only by accident did he stumble onto it, and at the time he had thought of it as little more than a ghost town.

And he was right. Even if their hearts remained beating it was easily apparent that the spirit of the locals was gone, and they didn't even bother to seem alarmed when he had arrived, with smoke steadily flowing from underneath his heavy cloak. Only a few wary glances told him that they even acknowledged his presence, and he wasn't entirely sure if they were really focusing on him or not.

All he knew was that they simply didn't care, at least not about him. After hearing what had happened he was sure that even if he had come to help, which he hadn't, they wouldn't have raised their hopes in the belief that such a thing would be trampled anyway, and there was nothing worth taking in this town that the hob bandits hadn't already stolen or destroyed. For those that bothered to make the effort, they would have thought that he would have done just what other drifters before had and leave.

He probably should have, too. He had his own troubles to deal with. However, before he knew it, he was standing at the front of the mayor's office, hand already on the knob. He paused only for a moment to question just how much he would regret this before opening the door.

"Truce Delaquesta, at your service."

[mammothtank]

Her axe in one hand and her knapsack in the other, Rebecca stood at the entrance of the desolate town. It looked nearly as lively as a funeral. There was no activity; the few people who were outside were sitting around looking defeated.

"What happened here...?" she wondered aloud.

"Hobs happened here. That's what," one man offered. He seemed very eager to have the town's plight well known. "We have almost nothing left. They took our food and our wives, and destroyed our well. You're a Drifter - won't you help us?"

Rebecca sighed. Well, there goes my hope for a decent meal tonight. "Where is your mayor? I'll speak with him."

The man indicated the mayor's office, which Rebecca started toward. As she did so, she noticed another man, clearly a Drifter by his garb, enter it first. Reaching the door herself, she poked her head inside.

"Is the mayor in?"

[gurusloth]

Jasper walked into Destin and looked around, skeptical that this dried up little town could even pay the 1000 gella they were offering. Unfortunately, his plate was currently bare of other prospects, and he needed the money.

When news of Destin's plight reached the inn he had been staying at, the other Drifters' interests had not been aroused. Most of the people in this game were hunting for one thing or another, usually treasure or revenge. Jasper only wanted a few Gella to rub together and a hot meal, and so he gathered his meager belongings and headed out for Destin.

There was no sign of the residents of the town visible as Jasper strolled up the main street. Looking around, he saw the building marked as the Mayor's Office, and noticed some people heading inside. Great, he thought, I've got competition. Although, he considered, it might be nice to have someone to help with the dirty work, and even if they had to split the bounty, it'd still be a decent amount compared to what he had now, which was a pocket full of lint. Maybe even one or both of them might have their own ARMs. That'd make short work of most hobs, and he could just tag along for the ride.

Sighing and adjusting his pack, Jasper walked up to the door of the office and opened it. "I'm here about the hob job, if it's still available," he announced.

[Red Mage Black]

Leon came upon the small town of Destin, a shell of what it used to be. He heard a few rumors circling the town that a group of Gobs kept attacking and by now had stolen food and women. "Such cowards." He thought to himself. "A town that was completely self sufficient has been turned to scrap by filthy demi-humans. Those bastards will pay for their weakness. The only reason they're stealing is because of those ARMs users. They turned this wonderful world into a wasteland. I'll kill every last one of them if I have to."

What remained of the town had disgusted Leon. Their very will to fight had been drained to the point of constant losses. He came upon the mayors office. This looked no better then the town. "Maybe I can be of some help here." Leon knocked on the door a few times.

"Hello, I'm here for the job you're offering. Is it still available?"

[Krylo]

The Mayor's office was only in slightly better repair than the rest of this dilapidated ghost town. The walls were all intact, where in other places they had begun to deteriorate from the wind and sand, and his desk and floor were both clean and in good condition.

However, no pictures hung about the room, no trophies adorned the desk or wall, no carpets sat on the floor, and his chair had no cushions. All fineries had been stripped clean.

The mayor himself was a mirror of his office. He was thin and gaunt--and it was obvious had had once been overweight and well fed--yet he was still healthy. He had not starved himself yet, as his station allotted him access to a greater share of the town's dwindling resources, yet his eyes were listless and his posture broken. Just like the room around him he was a mockery of what he should be--yet he still served his purpose.

As the dream chasers arrived, not one, not two, not even three, but four in quick succession the Mayor moved to his feet with a speed that one would assume that his frame could no longer support. The plain wooden chair, which would have looked more at home in a bar, fell clattering to the ground behind him.

"Yes, yes! Please help us!" he implored as he ran about his desk, grabbing Truce's hands and prostating himself before the drifters, "Please, any of you... all of you. Just stop the Hobs and bring back our family members," he paused for a moment a this, tears welling in his eyes as he thought of his own wife and daughter, "...or their remains... please..."

This man was no longer a negotiator. He was not the man who any of them had been used to seeing on these jobs as his eyes moved back and forth from drifter to drifter. He was desperate, broken, and pathetic. Any pride he had once had was lost on the harsh desert winds.

It was obvious that they could get anything he had.

The only question remaining was how much they would take.

[Truce]

Three more people had come, each one a drifter like himself. The first, a woman that looked as old as he did, appeared to come with more curiosity than purpose, while the other two were both older men that entered with the clear intent to take the job.

None of them looked like they were after him-but looks could be deceiving.

Truce had other things to worry about though-like the shadow of a man before him, and the desperate situation of the town.

There was little point in dealing with either. In the state both were in, what they would offer was more than what they could afford to give, and Truce had not yet considered himself villainous enough to take what little they had left.

However, Truce wasn't the type to help people out of the goodness of his heart. He knew that for his own sake he shouldn't walk away from this completely empty handed, not if he wished for his continued survival.

"Two hundred gella," Truce finally said, holding up two gloved fingers. "As well as any supplies needed. That is my price."

[Red Mage Black]

Leon looked down at the man. He was obviously desperate to see his family again and would pay anything.

"It won't be cheap.... two hundred fifty gella. What do you say? Just to get back at a group of Hobs."

He nodded at the man and awaited the other's responses.

[mammothtank]

Several thoughts ran through Rebecca's mind.

The first was, How can we possibly take money from these people in their time of need? This is just horrible.

The practical part of her mind chimed in. How can we not? We're drifters. We need stuff too. I'm out of money, and I nearly lost my head on that last job. I need heal berries for missions like that... and this, for that matter.

She thought a little longer. "Hmm... How about two heal berries and a packful of food? That's all I really need at the moment..."

[Krylo]

The mayor was quick to acquiesce to their demands, he didn't even let the final drifter speak before answering, and he most certainly hadn't taken any time debating (if even registering) what the others had requested. "Yes yes... please, anything you want. Almost everything we have left... money... food... herbs... it's been gathered at the edge of town for the hobs... today is when they come for their offering. Take it... just please... free us," he gushed, his eyes moving over the drifters pleadingly.

[gurusloth]

The desperation in the mayor's voice made the bile rise up in the back of Jasper's throat. From the looks of things, the woman and the strange cloaked man hadn't even come here for the job, they just had bad timing.

Jasper cleared his throat and said, "Look, I'm here for the 1000 gella bounty offered for taking care of these hobs." He motioned towards the other Drifters. "I'll happily split the amount with any who help, and I'll purchase whatever I need from you before I leave town once I've earned my share." He could probably restock his supplies for free if he asked, but taking advantage of someone in these circumstances would only leave him with a bad taste in his mouth. Besides, the local merchants would probably give him a hefty discount if he came back with their missing relatives.

"If the hobs are coming today, our best bet would be to wait until they arrive and ambush them. Then we'll follow their backtrail to where they've taken the townspeople and finish off whatever force remains there." Jasper motioned towards the front office door. "Mr. Mayor, could you show us where the...uh, offerings...have been left?"

[Krylo]

The mayor rose to his feet quickly, a spark of hope appearing in his eyes as he did so for the first time since they had met. "Of course, thank you so very much," he said quickly, as he moved to the door, swinging it open and making his way toward the edge of town, making certain that at least one of the drifters had followed.

As the group got closer they could here a soft sobbing, the source of which only became apparent as they reached the edge of the town, near an abandoned barn.

There were five horseless carts each loaded with money, food, and various other objects of worth heaped into them sitting on the outskirts of the town, but the thing that had been making the noise was one half-starved village girl, appearing to be in her mid-teens, chained to the corner of one of the carts. The mayor did his best to avoid looking toward her as he addressed the drifters once more, "Thank you, once again... I will pray for your success."

[Truce]

"There is no need to worry," Truce said, as he walked around the carts, analyzing the offering, including the girl. It didn't appear that there was room to stowaway anywhere, at least not without making it too obvious. "So long as you have us you have can be assured of the rescue of your friends and family.

"However," he continued, glancing over to the other drifters and the mayor, "That is only if we all cooperate with each other."

Truce began with an explanation of what they needed to know. First, it was important to know how big the gang was and how they acted as well as who the leader was and how he acted and appeared. Then they needed to know when the hobs took their offering, how many would come, where they would enter and leave, and how much attention they paid to what they were given. Finally, he asked the other drifters what they were capable of-if they were going to be working together, they had better damn know if they could watch each other's back in a fight or not.

"If you couldn't tell, I'm a crossbowman," he said, making a quick gesture to the weapon on his back. "It will be no trouble at all for me to take out a hob before they see what's coming. Just don't expect me to pull a miracle out of my ass and take them down by myself if they all suddenly try to escape on horse."

[Red Mage Black]

Leon looked at the mayor, he was disappointed that the man would offer up a young girl to those wretched Hob's. Truce had also caught his attention.

"You're using a crossbow? Huh, can't fight them up close now can you? I'll charge up close while you stay back and.... cover me."

Leon crossed his arms and looked at Truce.

"Or would you like to be up close where they can kill you easier?"

[Truce]

"Honestly?" he asked, turning to face Leon, looking over the older man once. "I'm not sure you could kill me, even if we were up close. Worry about yourself before you worry about me.

"And before you worry about yourself, worry about the townsfolk first."

Truce took a few steps towards the shackled girl and motioned Leon and the others to look at her. "What do you think the hobs will do if you just charge in and try to fight them?"

[gurusloth]

"We should unlock her now," said Jasper, motioning to the emaciated girl chained to the cart. "She'll only get in the way once the fighting starts."

He gave an annoyed look towards the other two men and muttered to them under his breath, "Listen, I know none of us asked to be working together, but it'll go a lot easier if we can all try to be a little more civil. I, for one, would like to live long enough to spend this bounty, and I expect you both would as well."

Jasper looked over to where the young woman was standing quietly. "What about you? Got any questions before the hobs show up?"

[Truce]

Truce nodded as Jasper recommended freeing the girl. "I see you understand the situation we'd be put in. However, they're expecting a girl, and so we'll need someone to replace her."

Now he was beside the girl, gingerly tracing a chain link with his finger. With a small unseen smile, he glanced back at the group. "There's only one person suitable for that, though.

"Me."

Before the others could voice their concerns, Truce held up a hand to silence them. "Out of the four of us gathered only two of us could pass as this girl, and accidentally killing one of you with a stray shot wouldn't be in our best interests anyway.

"Besides," he continued, his eyes landing on Leon. "I want to show you just how easy it is to kill me."

If Truce were the type to laugh maniacly, there was no doubt that he would have been doing it now.

[mammothtank]

"Hmm..." Once again, Rebecca thought hard. "I think I might have an idea.

"I'll volunteer to replace the girl, but we'll need to set things up so that I can fight at a moment's notice. I'm thinking that if we leave the shackles loose enough that I can undo them immediately and somehow hide my axe in the cart, I can take them by surprise when they show up."

In the back of her mind, Rebecca wondered why hobs would be interested in human women in the first place, but didn't give voice to the question.

[Truce]

Truce shook his head. "You know, more thought went into this than just 'I feel like being pretty'. Even if you're able to hide your axe effectively in the cart, there will still be a delay that will leave you vulnerable. In your haste, you may also damage the cart and anything on it, which we want to avoid doing.

"I can easily defend myself without a weapon while you guys cut off their escape. I'm used to being surrounded on all sides, and I know a few tricks up these long sleeves of mine.

"More importantly, you would be more effective in cutting off their escape. With the barn on one side, and you all on the other three, we'd have little trouble catching them. It means that we won't have to kill all of the hobs, and we want to keep at least one alive to lead us back to their den anyway."

[gurusloth]

Jasper was mulling over Truce's suggestion when he noticed something...odd. He thought at first that it was only dust blowing in the wind, but it was too consistent and the wrong color as well.

"Truce...is that smoke coming out from under your cloak?"

[mammothtank]

Rebecca's train of thought was suddenly broken by a comment from one of her apparent comrades.

"Smoke? What?" It was then that she noticed it: a thin trail of smoke whose source appeared to be... Truce, was his name? No, no, that's just a legend. He couldn't possibly be a... Shaking her head, Rebecca looked at Truce under his cloak. "Are you alright? You don't look well."

[Truce]

Truce took a step back, unsure of what to say. After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat and gave his answer. "I'm smoking because...my ass is on fire!"

Honestly, it would have been a better idea if he had kept his mouth shut.

Since it appeared that none of them would believe his lie, he simply sighed. "It's just...a condition of mine. Don't worry about it; it'll stop pretty soon. Before the hobs get here, anyway. Even if it didn't, if it took you guys this long to notice it, do you think a bunch of hobs will? Not before we ambush them, anyway.

"Let's just free this girl and get into position."

[Krylo]

Truce began with an explanation of what they needed to know. First, it was important to know how big the gang was and how they acted as well as who the leader was and how he acted and appeared. Then they needed to know when the hobs took their offering, how many would come, where they would enter and leave, and how much attention they paid to what they were given. Finally, he asked the other drifters what they were capable of-if they were going to be working together, they had better damn know if they could watch each other's back in a fight or not.


The mayor, had been ready to answer Truce's questions, however, the drifters had begun to talk amongst themselves, discussing strategy and bickering slightly. He had no wish to interrupt, and didn't feel strong enough to do so properly anyway.

Instead he had merely listened, and when they seemed to have decided upon releasing the girl he was there with the key to her chains, unlocking it.

This seemed to get their attention for a moment and so he spoke, though he looked at the ground as he did so, "We aren't really certain how many there are... we only ever see ten to twenty, but they don't seem to be the same ones. They all resemble each other so closely it's hard to tell... but they come from there," the mayor pointed to the west, out of town, "usually shortly after sundown... the come, take the carts, and leave... we... we try to avoid them then..."

[Truce]

Truce crossed his arms and frowned. This seemed like it was going to be a lot more trouble than he had expected and it could pose a problem for the group. If they didn't take out the ones that were captured quickly it was possible that the hobs could escape, warning the others about their presence. That wouldn't do at all-not at all.

"You there," he said, pointing to Jasper. "You'll block the western path, their most likely escape. With someone of your size in their way, they'll be more than a little hesitant to try to pass.

"As for you," he continued, finger now directed to Leon. "You'll block the eastern exit. You look fast enough to chase after them if they try to head into town. Don't let anybody get hurt.

"Ms. Amazon, you will block the route opposite of the barn," he said, spinning to face Rebecca. "It's where the hobs might likely try to escape to once the other paths are closed, but you're also in a position to help support either the big guy or the bratty one.

"I will be the decoy, but I'll also move to block the path to the barn. At the same time, you guys will need to be hidden, but be able to position yourselves swiftly." Nodding to himself, he then turned around and placed his hands on the shoulders of the girl and the mayor.

"Finally, you two, as well as the rest of the town, will need to find a safe place, away from the fighting. We'll handle things here, but there's no need to place you all under unnecessary danger. When we come for you, your loved ones should be ready to return to you as well."

[gurusloth]

Truce's explanation of the smoke as being a 'condition' seemed a bit fishy to Jasper, but it he said it would go away before the hobs showed up, so it wouldn't interfere with his cross-dressing ambush plan. Jasper reasoned that Truce was perhaps some sort of magician that had been cursed or perhaps a magic experiment of his had gone awry; Jasper had spent some time with Drifters who could use magic before, and they all had weird quirks. He supposed that this was no different. Still, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on Truce...from a distance. His condition could be contagious, after all.

It was clear that the strange smoke issuing from underneath Truce's garments certainly wasn't hindering his ability to boss everyone else around. Unfortunately, aside from his insistence to imitate a woman, Truce's plan seemed decent enough. "Okay, sounds good," said Jasper over his shoulder as he headed west toward the edge of town. "I'm gonna look around over here for a good hiding spot."

Krylo, lemme know if I find a spot suitable for hiding until the ambush is sprung

[Red Mage Black]

(Sorry for absence and if this has been keeping the game from rolling along a little bit more)

"What's the use of an ambush if we're going to attack them anyway? I guess a good strategy is better then none." Leon had been thinking to himself. He looked at Truce who had given him instructions on the eastern exit.

"Yeah, I'm fast enough. But are you sure this'll work? If there are as many a the mayor said there are, we can't afford to be divided."

[mammothtank]

"Ms. Amazon"? Rebecca thought to herself as she took up a hidden position opposite the barn. Axe in hand, she knelt down and sighed. This plan of his sounds like it'll work, but only if absolutely nothing goes wrong. If we get through this alive, though, we'll be the heroes of the entire town. Not that that'll change the past or anything...

Realizing she was daydreaming, Rebecca shook her head to clear her mind and waited for something to happen.

[Krylo]

The mayor nodded and guided the girl back into the city quickly. Perhaps too quickly, showing his cowardice, but he had been waiting to be allowed to escape for some time now and could not be bothered with attempting to muster up pride, when he obviously had none less.

Time drug by, as the hours moved past, heading toward sunset.

(OOC: Everyone finds a decent hiding place. Also, I'm going to give you guys a chance to iron out any more details [RMB, for instance, is still yippin' and yappin'], I'll bring out the hobs tomorrow--or earlier if requested)

[Red Mage Black]

"Whatever..."

Leon said as he turned around and left for his designated hiding spot. He wasn't happy that they couldn't just attack the hobs on sight.

"This better be worth the payment. If these hobs are tougher then the mayor said they were, then I'm charging extra. Food isn't free you know."

[gurusloth]

Jasper managed to find a decent place to hide himself near the corner of a dilapidated storefront next to a few broken barrels. He hunkered down and pulled out a piece of dried meat to chew on while he waited for sundown and the hobs it would bring.

He had a good view of the carts from here, and was admittedly curious to what kind of get-up Truce would end up deciding to wear. Hopefully it would be something that wouldn't restrict Truce's movement, since he was the one who was supposed to attack first, thus signalling Jasper and the others to move in.

[Truce]

Believe it or not, Truce had never actually planned to cross dress, despite what everybody else had expected. It would simply be too bothersome to change-especially since it wouldn't really hide the looseness of the changes. No, he had a different plan.

He had to, anyway. None of the dresses were his size.

After hiding his crossbow away on the card where he could grab it after the battle, he took the chains and placed the shackles around his wrists and ankles, though never actually securing them in place. Then he lied down on the ground next to the card, his cloak draped over himself hiding his figure from view as before.

This illusion would fool the hobs long enough for as long as they needed.

[Krylo]

Hours ticked by and the sun moved through the sky, slowly setting in the west. For a few moments it seemed as though nothing would happen, but then the silhouettes of five horses appeared against the burning orb in the distance. Slowly they became more defined, and some small creatures, no taller than the horses' legs could be seen beside them.

They came into clear view as the sun finally set behind them completely, the light of the stars illuminating their hideous visages, the cruel--but crudely made--axes that each of them hefted, and their moth-eaten leather garments--most likely stolen from the village some time ago.

It seemed a bit curious that they were equipped so poorly considering, but still the hobs led the horses to the cart, snorting amongst each other.

"Me hungry. Hope they give live meat."

"Hey! Wut dat!?"

"Girl?"

"Gud! Live meats!"

One of the hobs smacked the one who had said this in the back of the head bringing some pig-like laughter from the others. "Stupid!" it said, "You know we no eat until boss finish!"

"But me want try..." the creature said sheepishly in response.

"Me no care. Boss hurt you. Me not in trouble."

The creature snorted a bit and grinned, its sharp teeth spreading wide like the maw of a shark and moved toward the 'girl' under the blanket.

"Smell pretty... bet taste good."

(ANNNND Start. There are ten hobs. This counts as a 'normal' battle, meaning there will be rolls. However, they're so weak that the only reason rolls are necessary, really, is to see if you can get them all before they get away. Also, Ecurt, your first attack counts as a surprise, the Hob has no chance to dodge, and it easily bypasses his soak for a killing blow. In other words, you're good to go with that post.)

EDITED TWICE Because Ecurt sucks incredible ass.

[Truce]

As the hob approached the body sprawled on the ground, the sobbing began to cease. Underneath the leather cloak draped around him he reacted to the sound of footsteps by turning slightly, clinking the metal links together. With a little shaking, he sat up, revealing just enough of his face to allow his eyes to meet the lust filled bandits.

After one last sniffle, and a smirk hidden behind his shroud, the cloak went flying into the air.

In an instant Truce rose from his seat and lashed out at the hob, leaving a gash in the fat throat of the demihuman. As blood gushed from the hob's neck, it took a stumbled backwards, his body threatening to fall. Before it fell though, it was caught in a tight embrace by Truce, who licked his lips. Without any hesitation, he brought his mouth to the wound and began drawing nourishment from his victim's lifeblood.

For a moment, it appeared the hob tried to resist, before its body went limp. When Truce was finished, he simply let the body drop, and wiped the sleeve of his leather jacket across his mouth. Then, Truce turned to the other hobs and smiled, blood still dripping from his chin.

"Tastes just like chicken."

[Krylo]

(OOC: Totally forgot to roll intiative, and stuff. I blame being tired.

RMB:17
Guru: 10
Ecurt: 16
MT: 8


Hob1: 3
Hob2: 10
Hob3: 3
Hob4: 10
Hob5: 8
Hob6: 7
Hob7: 4
Hob8: 9
Hob9: 2

Thus, turn order is...
RMB
Ecurt
Guru
Hob2
Hob4
Hob8
MT
Hob5
Hob6
Hob7
Hob1
Hob3
Hob9

Further, you're all about 40 feet from the hobs, except Ecurt, who is 5 from the closest and ten from the furthest.

Remember, movement = Res in feet. You can also dash twice your Res in feet, but you can't do anything else that turn then.)

[gurusloth]

Technically this happens after whatever Leon does, but since his actions won't change mine...

Jasper saw the hobs chattering amongst themselves as they approached the carts, but he was too far away to hear what they were saying. He eased his knives out of their sheaths as he waited for Truce to make his move.

Suddenly, Truce's cloak spiralled into the air, his form a blur as he attacked the nearest hob. Jasper snuck out from his hiding spot and began to slip quickly around to the west side of the group in order to block their escape out of town. Jasper was never a very quick runner, though, and he wanted to be in his designated position before he closed in to attack. Hopefully Truce could hold the hobs' attention until he got there.

[doublemove/dash towards designated position; if possible, make a Stealth check at same time to avoid hobs' attention]

[Truce]

Leon's actions probably won't affect mine as well, and I want to post this in case I get screwed over by my internet again later.

While the hobs still seemed to be surprised, Truce took the oppourtunity to quickly count how many there were. Nine, eh? Not as bad I had feared, then.

Of course, that didn't mean that there wouldn't be any trouble-just much less so. The first one had been caught off guard, and he wasn't sure how fast he could take them out if he simply fought unarmed. He could try and grab his crossbow, but that would take more time than it was worth right now-and they could attack him while he was vulnerable.

In an instant, he came to his decision and grabbed the axe that had fallen from his prey. At the same time he casted a spell of Hypnosis underneath his breath, designating his target with a quick motion of his hand. Closing the distance between himself and the hob, he slashed at the hob, hoping to finish another one quickly again.

[Grab Axe, Use Hypnosis, Move in 5 feet to closest hob, then Axe attack]

[Krylo]

(OOC: It's now been about a full day and neither RMB nor MT have posted, thus I shall make their moves for them. This shall be standard practice.)

Leon leapt from his hiding space and ran toward the Hobs, at roughly a forty five degree angle, placing placing himself between them and their route of escape, while closing into about thirty feet from the nearest hob.

The crimson noble's axe moved with incredible speed, but the frightened hob managed to stumble back, barely avoiding the blow, as the crude (and particularily shitty) axe came within a few centimeters of his nose.

(OOC: Lucky hob. Lucky lucky hob.)

Meanwhile Rebecca Voral broke from her hiding spot by the barn, brandishing her axe above her head as she charged forward.

The hobs, for their part, scattered. Taking off in all directions. One had the good sense to hop on a horse, however, and he began charging toward Leon in his attempt to escape.

Cowardly creatures that they were, they wanted nothing more than to get the hell away after seeing one of their own murdered.

Unfortunately for them, they're also terribly slow creatures.

(OOC: Each hob moved 5 feet away from Ecurt. This means his closest is now 5 more feet away, etc. Further, you other three all have your distance to the nearest hob reduced by 5. So Guru is now 35 feet away from his nearest, MT is now 21 feet away, and RMB is now 25 feet away.

Next round:
Hob1: 9
Hob2: 11
Hob3: 8
Hob4: 4
Hob5: 8
Hob6: 3
Hob7: 5
Hob8: 10
Hob9: 9

MT: 17
RMB: 8
Guru: 9
Ecurt: 19

Thus, turn order is
Ecurt
MT
Hob8/Hob2
Guru
Hob1/Hob9
RMB
All other Hobs)

[Truce]

Truce dropped the axe, finding it more of a hinderance than a help. Then, he headed back to the cart with the shackles and tried to jump onto it to try to pull his crossbow from its hiding place, as well as find his crossbow bolts.

[Red Mage Black]

Leon continued to close the distance between him and the hob's. He drew his sword, ready to strike at any who came at him. "Prepare to reap my sword training you wretched creatures!"

[mammothtank]

Still running full speed toward the hob mob, Rebecca wondered why she'd chosen a hiding spot so far from where the action would take place, then focused her attention to her upcoming attack. Suddenly an idea occured to her, and she held the axe high in the air and let out a warcry as she ran in an attempt to scare the hobs senseless.

[gurusloth]

Jasper saw Rebecca's display, and since the hobs were beginning to scatter, he decided to abandon stealth and attempt to scare the hobs heading in his direction back towards the carts. He ran at the group, yelling and waving his arms in a menacing fashion.

[Still trying to get into melee, making an Intimidate check at the same time]

[mammothtank]

krylo is lazy, so I'm posting this for him.

The horse-mounted hob continued charging straight at Leon in an attempt to mow him down, coming startlingly close.

The rest of the hobs, startled by Rebecca and Jasper's shouting, engaged in the worst combat maneuver any of the Drifters had seen all day and ran around in circles, bumping into one another in their panic. They were trying to flee and failing miserably.

Turn order:
Ecurt
RMB
MT
guru
the hobs
__________________

Rebecca, not slowing her pace until she reached her target, lowered her axe to hob height and swung it horizontally at the first hob she ran into.

[Truce]

Truce, now with his Arbalest and crossbow bolts, focused his attention to the panicked goblins. Raising his weapon, he took his time aiming at the goblin closest to him-the same one (he thought) that had narrowly dodged his earlier attack. Relishing this moment, he paused before finally pulling the trigger.

[Red Mage Black]

Leon grinned as the horse mounted hob drew closer. He readied himself and charged as fast as he could. With a running start he jumped at the hob and attempted to kick it off the horse.

[OOC: Am I close enough to do that?]

[gurusloth]

[Jasper continues moving into melee. As far as I can tell, I'm still at least 20 feet away from the nearest hob due to my slow run speed. Lemme know if this is wrong and/or when I am able to actually make a melee attack.]

"Huff, huff, huff...gettin' out of shape lately..."

[Krylo]

(OOC: Just on the basis that making you run any further is lame, you can attack this next round, guru)

Truce's crossbow bolt smashed into the hob's back, embedding itself in the creature's flesh painfully and causing it to scream in agony. (-1)

Leon spun and delivered his heel to the side of the riding Hob's head viciously, sending the poor creaturing smashing into the dirt, and sliding across it. (-2)

The large battle-axe came down from Rebbeca's powerful arms and sundered the hob she was attacking completely in two. The creature had no time to even think as the axe smashed into the ground under it's own weight, and the girl's own considerable strength. It's bloody entrails littering the ground.

(8)
The hob which Ecurt shot, spun about, enraged by its pain and began to charge him, screaming out some unintelligible gibberish as it wielded it's axe. The sounds however, seemed to rally many of the other hobs who also charged. Roughly half of them would be in striking distance soon. (four hobs your way)

The other half, however, quickly decided where they wanted to go and charged toward Jasper, as that he was as far away from Rebecca as they could get, brandishing their weapons and intending to strike him down as they made good their retreat. (three hobs your way)

This left only one, who could do little more than pull himself up off the ground in a dazed stupor.

[Truce]

Focusing his spirit, Truce called upon the power of his signature move-Swift Shadow-to increase his responsiveness (assuming FP is equal or greater than 25). Then, he tried to as stealthily as he could move eleven feet to his left, before aiming at one of the uninjured hobs that were charging at him and firing at the hob.

[Krylo]

(oh yeah, shit, init.

Ecurt-13
MT-11
Three uninjured hobs
RMB-8
two uninjured hobs (one dead via ecurt)
Guru-4
Last uninjured hob
Two injured hobs

Also, Ecurt, you got 17 successes, so you have 17 rounds with ludi-speed. Sixteen now.)

Truce's crossbow bolt entered directly into the hob's eye, dropping the creature dead immediately.

[mammothtank]

Yanking her axe out of the dirt, Rebecca ran off to one side of the pack of hobs charging at Jasper in an attempt to flank them.

[Not attacking this turn, just dashing]

[Krylo]

The hobs moved toward their respective targets, none of them close enough to get within striking range, currently. Though Jasper found two of them entering range for his attacks.

(OOC: If you're going to split your dice to make room for dodges and/or parries, tell me how many splits you're doing)

[gurusloth]

Jasper squeezed the grips of the blades he held in each fist as a handful of hobs, having seen several of their number cut down in rapid succession, turned towards him and decided he'd be easier to face.

"Heh, fat chance of that," he thought to himself, as he dropped to one knee between the first two hobs in the group and rammed the points of his trusty buck knives into their stomachs.

[Making two attacks at separate hobs, with Ambidexterity it should come to a -1 penalty on the first attack, -2 on the second]

[EDIT]Was wondering if you could show the characters' current FP at the same time as the initiative, Krylo?

[Red Mage Black]

After landing, Leon readied his sword and charged the dazed Hob. Making a few zig-zag movements per his teachings. As he came within range of the hob, Leon spun and slashed his sword at the hob's neck.

[Not sure if this means an accuracy check]

[Krylo]

The two hobs fell to the ground like gutted deer as Jasper pulled his bowie knives back out, their blood and intestines slicking the ground.

However, there was a third hob, who still charged forward, taking advantage of Jasper's distraction to leap into the air and come down on the man's shoulder with his axe. Unfortunately for the hob, its axe was not sharp enough to pierce the chainmail, and the creature merely bounced away from Jasper's arm, doing no real damage, other than a bit of a sting (blow negated from superior soak).

Meanwhile, Leon's sword sliced through the hob's throat easily, the creature's head rolling along the ground.

(OOC: There are now four hobs left. One after Jasper, three after Ecurt. The three after Ecurt can't reach him yet.

Init: Ecurt-5fp
RMB-21fp
One hob
MT-19fp
Guru-7fp
Other hobs

Sorry about this taking so long, I've not been feeling well lately)

[gurusloth]

If Jasper starts with 5 FP, and just executed two successful attacks, each of which is supposed to (according to the rules) add 1D10 + SPR(2) to my FP, how is it I now have 7 FP? Just wondering if I'm adding it wrong...

Also, I hope you're feeling better Krylo. BTW, MammothTank posted in the Public Announcement thread that he's going on vacation, so you'll have to act for Rebecca 'til he gets back.

He'd found the chainmail reinforced duster while guiding a caravan between Claiborne and Westwood. Well, 'looted' might be the more appropriate term. A group of bandits had attacked the caravan, and after the battle Jasper pulled it off of the leader's corpse, who'd had the misfortune of taking an arrow to the eye in the first volley. Since then it had become one of Jasper's most useful possessions, proving itself again today as it deflected the hob's axe blow.

The hob bounced away and to Jasper's right. As it attempted to recover it's balance from the failed attack, Jasper spun and slashed his knife down across the hob's chest from shoulder to armpit. He glanced up and saw Truce being charged by another group of the little nuisances. He seemed to recall Truce bragging about his ability to stay alive even while surrounded by foes. Jasper decided to hang back a moment and give him a chance to prove his words.

[Krylo]

(OOC: Because I'm stupid and forgot to add spr, even though I opened the files, looked at it, and planned on adding.
ACTUAL scores
Guru: 11
MT: 23
Ecurt: 16
RMB: 27

Sorry, 'bout that.)

The hob gurgled and clutched clawed at its throat as it fell to the ground, drowning on its own blood.

[Truce]

A little more sure of himself now, Truce dashed into the center of the group that had charged at him. After launching three kicks at one of the uninjured hobs and kicking the injured hob twice, Truce then fired a bolt at the last hob in the group.

[Run to group of hobs, kick one uninjured hob three times, go to injured hob, then kick that hob two times, before shooting the final uninjured hob.]

[Red Mage Black]

As Leon scoffed at the lifeless eyes of the hob, he noticed his fellow drifters under attack. With that in mind he dashed atfter the rest of the group ready to try and ambush the hobs that didn't notice him.

[Not sure how far away I am from the rest of the group.]

[Krylo]

Truce moved like a white shadow through the night, is movements untraceable by mere human perceptions, though to him they seemed as natural as ever.

The hobs could not even comprehend that he had moved to them in such a short time, much less react to it, leaving them completely defenseless as he kicked the first in the stomach, a sickening crunch emanating from the impact as the small beast was knocked into the air slightly, and then another cracking sound as Truce brought his other foot around to smash the hob in the cheek, snapping its neck and sending it further into the air. At last he spun and delivered a heavy heel kick to the creature and sent its very dead corpse spinning into the night.

Then he moved once more, seeming to blink out of existence for but a second, and arrived at the next hob, his body next to the ground allowing him to snap his foot up in a powerful thrust kick into the creature's chin, instantly snapping it's neck. Truce then placed a hand on the ground and spun up, allowing his feet to lead him in something of a backward cartwheel, which sent the hob smashing to the ground behind him once more as Truce bent his arm and launched himself up into the air.

The Crimson Noble's body spun in the air coming upright with his crossbow drawn and loaded, firing it before he even hit the ground, his crossbow bolt sinking deep into the skull of the last hob and leaving it to drop dead.

(OOC: hmm.. from now on, Ecurt I think I'm putting a limit on that particular skill for like... one round. Because... seriously... ouch.)

[gurusloth]

He saw the hobs charge in towards Truce, when suddenly Truce seemed to blur. Faster than Jasper could believe, Truce had dispatched every hob facing him with a series of kicks and a final crossbow bolt which looked to have been fired upside down and in mid-air.

Quickly regaining his composure, Jasper stepped over a hob corpse as he walked towards the carts. "Well, he said as casually as he could manage, "looks like we did pretty well against these hobs. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any of them are still alive to question, but I think we should be able to follow their trail back to their hideout. I'd like to leave as soon as possible, while the backtrail is still fresh. We'll stop once it's too dark to travel."

[Red Mage Black]

"I find that troubling.... someone faster then me? What IS he?"

Leon began to follow the tracks that the hobs had made. He looked back at the others and waved.

"Lets go before it reaches dark night. We don't want to be hunted by anything with a nastier attitude then us."

[Truce]

Truce straightened up, streching his arms and legs. Then he immediately dashed as fast he could off in the direction of the runaway horse, intending on trying to catch it. "You guys go on ahead," he said, as he passed Jasper. "I'll catch up with you. Someone has to tell the town we've taken care of them anyway."

[Krylo]

A few feet after sprinting after the horse, Truce slowed from his blurred speed, his body moving normally again, and allowing the frightened animal to easily outpace him. Luckily there were still four horses left standing about.

Rebecca climbed onto one of the horses, petting and soothing it a bit until it calmed enough for her to ride it bareback relatively easily, before looking down at the tracks. "Common, let's go finish this job," she said before starting the horse in a walk along the Hob trail, neither her riding nor tracking skills being enough to follow the trail at a faster pace.

(OOC: I'm going to assume you guys took the horses)

Between Jasper, Rebecca, and Leon, the group managed to follow the trail of the Hobs for most of the night, though it was rather slow going, thanks to the fact that they would often lose the trail in the dark, and the wind had blown much of it away--forcing them to backtrack and retrack to continue.

(OOC: I'm assuming you all took a horse, also I'll let you decide whether to keep going or camp for the night now... it's roughly eleven pm, and you can't see anything in the way of a hideout for the hobs yet.)

[Truce]

Truce didn't need to stop to eat as he had already fed today, but that might not be the case for the others. Besides, he couldn't even see anything himself and there was no point in getting themselves lost.

"Let's set up camp," he said. "If you guys need to sleep, sleep. If you need to eat, eat. I'll keep watch."

[gurusloth]

Jasper would have liked to continue, but after the second time they had been forced to backtrack due to lack of light even he had to admit they should probably call it a night. The hobs that they'd defeated back in Destin would probably be missed by the time they awoke in the morning, but that was a problem for tomorrow. Jasper climbed down off of his horse and laid down his sleeping roll.
"G'night, then," he said to the others before lying down. "Let me know if you need me to take a part of the watch." He then rolled over and was softly snoring within minutes.

One thing about Jasper, he never let his worries keep him from a good night's sleep.

[Red Mage Black]

"I don't know what the hell you did back there, but I'm going to help keep watch. If something attacks, I don't want to miss out on the action."

Leon decided to set up a good distance away from Truce. He kept his sword tucked away and sat in a ready position in case someone or something might attack.

[mammothtank]

"Well, with you big strong men keeping watch, I think I'll get myself some shut-eye." Rebecca rolled her eyes as she unrolled a blanket and folded it over herself. In spite of her fatigue, it took her a little while to fall asleep, as it usually did.

[gurusloth]

Jasper woke up with the sun. Looking around, he saw Truce was still awake and seemingly no worse for having kept watch all night. A few tendrils of smoke drifted out from under his volumonous cloak. Weird. Rebecca was just beginning to awaken as well

Leon, on the other hand, was a bleary-eyed wreck. "You shouldv'e woken me up to help with the watch if you were so tired, Leon." Jasper took a couple swallows from his waterskin and chewed on a strip of dried beef as he saddled his horse. "Well, let's see if we can't locate that trail again."

[Truce]

Truce yawned out of habit as he stretched, his body feeling a little sluggish after sitting in the same position for so long. Then, without a word, he saddled his horse as well, ready to depart.

Glancing at Leon, he chuckled and, for one rare moment, thanked his condition. As uncomfortable as it was during the day, it wasn't as bad if he thought about the good things it brought about.

[mammothtank]

"Mmf." Rebecca stretched, still half-asleep despite the sunlight in her face. Sitting up, she noticed everyone else was awake already - Jasper looked rested, Truce looked well despite having sat up all night, and Leon looked like crap. She forced herself groggily to her feet. "I wish I had the luxury of being able to afford coffee in the morning," she mumbled as she tucked her hair back into her jacket and climbed onto her horse.

[Krylo]

(OOC: Leon is at negative two dice. Also, once you guys get moving again it takes you six hours before you see a rather large cave with a few horses outside it. Jasper, further, notices some rather fresh tracks leading away from it and back toward the town.)

[Red Mage Black]

Before those six hours.

"I'll be fine. Lets just get a move on. The faster we can get this done the better."

Leon felt drowsy, but was able to lift himself up and make for the trail like the others.

The Six Hours Later

As they came upon the cave, the six horses didn't surprise him.

"Well, looks like we found where they're hiding out. Maybe we'll find the towns missing supplies here. We better take out whoeveris guarding it then."

Leon let out a mighty yawn before heading towards the cave opening.

[Even in his current condition, he is going to investigate the cave.]

[gurusloth]

As they were approaching the cave, Jasper caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. "Hold on a second," he said as he reigned his horse in that direction.

Climbing down from his saddle, Jasper crouched in the gritty soil and examined some markings, squinting against the sunrise. "These tracks are fresh," he said quietly. "I'd say that the hobs sent another group to check up on the first one." He stood, dusting off his hands. "I think our best bet is to split up. One pair rides hard for town and hopefully prevents the hobs from ransacking the place, the other pair heads for the cave and kills the remaining hobs there. Whoever finishes first rides back to help the others." Jasper swung back up onto his horse. "I'd prefer to take the cave, since I seem to have a problem chasing these li'l buggers down."

Pausing, he added, "Unless someone else has a better idea?"

[Truce]

Truce hadn't noticed the tracks himself, but when Jasper pointed them out he froze up, realizing immediately what it meant. "We should've expected this," he muttered to himself, half listening to the rest of what Jasper had to say.

After Jasper said his plan, he nodded. "I'll go wherever you think you need me to go," he said.

[mammothtank]

Rebecca hopped off her horse and pulled out her axe. "I'd rather go with you into the cave; there'll be more hobs to kill in there, I'm sure... but if you think otherwise, I won't bother objecting. Time is of the essence here - those villagers are in danger."

[Red Mage Black]

"I'm staying here. We've come too far and I'm not going back into that town without some of the towns supplies."

Leon shouted back at the others. He continued to make his way towards the cave hoping to take the hobs by surprise. "We should worry about the town later. Now we need to take care of the rest of those hobs."

[Truce]

Still saddled on his horse, Truce made his decision. "I'm going back to the town then," he said, turning his steed around. "I'll stand a better chance of catching them anyway, I suppose."

With that, he began to head back to town.

[gurusloth]

Jasper pulled out a gimel coin. "We'll flip for the cave," he said to Rebecca.

The spinning coin arched up through the air, the morning sun's rays winking off of it. At its apex, Jasper called out, "Heads!" The golden coin landed on the ground with a splash of dust, tails side up.

"Well, crap," Jasper muttered as he wheeled his horse around and heeled it into a gallop, following Truce back towards town. As he rode off, he yelled back to Rebecca, "I want my coin back when this is over!"

[mammothtank]

Picking the gimel coin out of the dust, Rebecca nodded at Jasper's retreating back. She took a deep breath and sighed, then hoisted her axe onto her shoulder. She turned to Leon. "Well, sleepyhead, looks like you and I are gonna go hob hunting. Ready to kick some ass? I know I am."

[Truce]

Truce slowed his steed's pace for a short while, allowing his partner to catch up. After a while, he struck up a conversation. "So, once we catch them, what should we do? I've been thinking...and the horses can't immediately run back, not after a full day of rushing around like we have.

"Maybe it's best we stay in the town once we reach it until someone comes. Either our friends will return, or the gobs will try to attack-but we should be there whatever the case may be, don't you think?"

[gurusloth]

"I think we should stick with the plan, and return to the cave once we've taken care of the hobs in town," Jasper yelled over the sound of the running horses. "It's possible we can switch mounts if we have to head back. Besides, I don't like changing things without Rebecca and Leon's knowledge."

[Truce]

With that, it was settled. Truce didn't want to argue against that point, at least not for now.

Staring ahead, he sighed. "We'd better make sure none of them get away then."

[gurusloth]

Jasper was in a hurry to reach Destin, pushing his horse for more speed until he noticed that Truce kept falling behind. Truce seemed to be sitting on his mount a bit awkwardly, and was having trouble getting the horse to respond to his increasingly wild rein flailings.

"You don't have much experience with horses, do you? Listen, just give me the reins and I'll lead your horse. All you have to do is hang on."

[OOC: I figure this would be faster than just letting Truce catch up on foot, I'll just either go slower than normal or make my Ride checks at a penalty]

[Krylo]

(Guru--I'm going to say that dragging that other horse added three necessary successes. You required 6 to get there before the hobs in the first place (as that they have quite the lead on you, and it's not really that far... just none of you guys are very good trackers. You managed to get 8 [lucky roll] with a str + ride [could have done CHA + Ride too, but you didn't seem to worried about the condition of the horse so I figured you'd be riding it with kicks and strength rather than a more gentle touch, and str + ride was a better die pool.

The hobs have been there for about a half-hour to an hour.)

As Truce and Jasper neared Destin they could see smoke from the general vicinity of the city.

Soon the town itself came into view, the outskirts already burning with many small humanoids running about with axes, chasing or engaging the remaining towsfolk.
---
The entrance to the cave was dark and various rudely crafted tools and bits of clothing were scattered about the entrance way, on top of various dusty tracks that lead both deeper into the cave and out again.

Grunting voices could be heard from deeper within the cave.

[Red Mage Black]

"I certainly am." Leon said nodding to Rebecca. He noted the immensity of her axe but then ignored it for how light and quick his sword was. Leon heard the grunting of the hobs deep in the cave. If they were lucky enough, they could either catch the hobs unarmed and unaware or they could just charge in and hope for the best. "Lets try to be as silent as we can. If we're lucky we can kill them without resistance. What do you think?" Leon said looking over to Rebecca. He was eager to go in and exterminate.

[mammothtank]

Rebecca nodded. "Right. We shouldn't waste the element of surprise while we have it." Peering into the cave, she lowered her axe to avoid bumping anything with it and motioned for Leon to follow.

The cave was not a very pleasant place to be; it was very poorly lit and didn't exactly smell like a bed of roses. Nevertheless, Rebecca continued on with Leon in tow, making sure to be as silent as possible.

[Truce]

Truce merely bowed his head as the town came into view, knowing that there wasn't much he could do. Jasper was the one in control of his reins right now and he had to wait until the hobs were finally in his range of his crossbow before acting.

[gurusloth]

Jasper saw the town under attack. Knowing time was of the essence, he looked back at Truce and said, "I'm gonna ride on ahead and try to get the hobs' attention away from the townspeople and on me. You can jump in and help me as soon as you catch up." With that, Jasper removed Truce's reins from his saddle and chivvied his horse to a gallop towards town. He hoped that Truce would be able to catch up quickly.

[Truce]

Nodding, Truce jumped from his horse, knowing it would much more trouble than it was worth to keep riding. Dashing as fast as he could, he followed Jasper and would keep doing so until he could take a shot at one of the hobs.

[Krylo]

(OOC: I declare the hobs for Ecurt/Guru to be mooks, and not require rolls. Also, there are 20 of them, but they're pretty dispersed amongst the town. Groups of two or three at the most.)

Rebecca and Leon made their way into the cave with relative silence, the slight scraping of their footsteps being easily overpowered by the sounds their prey was making.

As they moved through the cave they came upon a small side cave which lead to a store room full of various boxes and crates, most likely filled with the items the hobs had stolen. Further on the cave split into two paths. The bright light of a fire and the loud sound of many hobs came from one side, while considerably dimmer lights came from the other, with very little sound of any kind.

[mammothtank]

Rebecca leaned close to Leon and whispered. "I'd bet my axe that the captives are down that quiet tunnel. We need to get them evacuated before we start fighting in here or they might get hurt." She thought a little longer. "That is, if they're even still alive... but we have to know for sure."

[Red Mage Black]

"Fine, I'll go down the other tunnel and check on the hobs while you go down and check if the captives are still alive. If they start to suspect something I'll come let you know." Leon started to make his way down the other tunnel, but before he got out of sight he looked back at Rebecca. "Unless you have any objections I'll meet up with you later."

[gurusloth]

Jasper rode into town at a gallop, trampling any hobs that weren't quick enough to get out of his way. Once he had reached what looked to be the center of the hob-created chaos, he jumped off his tired horse and slapped it on the rump, sending it running out of harm's way. He then drew his knives and shouted, "HEY! Listen up, all you dirty, stinking hobs! How many of you gutless, spineless turds is it gonna take to bring me down?!"

[Truce]

I was running.

I didn't know why.

Sure, I could hear the screams all around me, see and smell the smoke of our burning homes, but I knew that even if I escaped I would only find myself in the wastelands. Alone without any food or water or any method to defend myself, I would die days before I reached the next town.

And yet I still ran. Maybe I was just that big of a coward; afraid to die but even more afraid to fight.

It didn't matter though. The hobs would catch me before I even made it out of town.

And then they came.

The first man, riding on a horse, trampled over a pair of hobs chasing me as he rode into town before letting loose a challenge to the hobs, gathering the attention of all those around him. Two hobs, at the sight of seeing a couple of their own felled, charged at him with their hand axes raised and battle cries slurred out unintelligibly. Neither of them would make it more than a couple steps.

One of them fell forward, a crossbow bolt suddenly embedded in the back of its head, and when the other turned to see what had happened a human shaped blur appeared right in front of it, moving so fast that it appeared to come out of nowhere. I heard a snapping sound and before I knew it the hob was sent crashing through the wall of the blazing barn.

Unsure what to think or what to feel, I did the only thing I could do at that moment-faint.

---

Truce ignored the man who had suddenly collapsed on the ground, instead turning his attention to Jasper. "You know," he said, taking a quick look around, "We should probably split up. We can cover more distance that way. There seems to be a lot of the hobs here, and we can't stop the fires until we take care of them all."